Basic Training
by J. B. Tilton
Summary: Archer and the away team learn that the past lives and it can be deadly.


ENTERPRISE  
"BASIC TRAINING"  
by Diana Louise Herd  
and J. B. Tilton  
  
Rating: G  
  
Disclaimer: "Star Trek", "Enterprise", and all related characters and events are the sole property of Paramount Pictures, Inc., except for those specifically created by me for this story. This is fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.  
  
* * *  
  
Captain Archer and the away team learns that the past still lives; and it can be deadly.  
  
ONE  
  
Captain Archer sat in his quarters filling out reports. It was one aspect of the job he truly hated. Every time he moved, every time he breathed, it seemed he had to fill out a form to account for it to Star Fleet. It was one of the prices he had to pay for commanding the first warp five capable ship from Earth.  
  
Their last mission had been harder on the Enterprise than even Trip had first suspected. Enterprise was still on her shake down voyage. There were bound to be a thousand bugs in the ship that needed to be worked out. Trip was in engineering, where he had been for the last three days, working out some of those bugs.  
  
"Well, boy," Archer said to Porthos, "do you think it's all been worth it so far?"  
  
The loveable beagle just cocked his head at his master.  
  
"Me, too," said Archer smiling.  
  
"T'Pol to Archer," came the Vulcans' voice over the intercom.  
  
"Archer here," he responded.  
  
"Captain, can you come to the bridge?" asked T'Pol. "We have a planet on sensors."  
  
"On my way," said Archer.  
  
He scratched Porthos behind the ears, then left his quarters and headed for the bridge. Their encounter three days ago had left the crew a bit shaken. Just as most of their missions did. But with each successful mission, his crew gained more experience. Soon he imagined they would be a match for even the intellectually superior Vulcans who seemed to pop up at every turn.  
  
"What have you got, Sub-Commander?" asked Archer, entering the bridge.  
  
"A planet directly ahead, Captain," said Archer, no emotion in her voice. "Sensors show it is similar in most respects to Earth. The air is a bit thinner, but still capable of sustaining life."  
  
"Any evidence it's inhabited?" asked Archer.  
  
"No evidence of any type of radio signals, Captain," said Hoshi.  
  
"I'm not detecting any satellites in orbit," said Malcolm. "If it is inhabited, it would appear they have not yet designed any type of space flight."  
  
"We are still too far away for conclusive scans of the planet itself," offered T'Pol. "I estimate it will be ten minutes forty seconds before the Enterprises' sensors will be able to provide any acceptable readings."  
  
"Very well," said Archer. "Travis, steady as she goes."  
  
"Aye, sir," said Mayweather.  
  
Archer waited patiently as the ship warped toward the planet. Any other ship would have taken days, even weeks, to reach the planet from that distance. The speed at which the Enterprise was able to cross space never ceased to amaze Archer.  
  
"We are receiving sensor readings now, Captain," announced T'Pol finally. "There appear to be no signs of biological activity. No insects, no birds, and no higher life forms. It appears the planet is devoid of biological life."  
  
"I'm getting something," said Hoshi. "It's a high frequency energy pulse on one of the communications channels. I've never seen anything like it, Captain."  
  
"Confirmed, sir," interjected T'Pol. "It appears to be an energy pattern of an unknown form."  
  
"It is natural?" asked Archer.  
  
"Unknown, sir," said T'Pol.  
  
"Captain," interrupted Malcolm, "it appears the planet has suffered some sort of calamity. I'm reading the remains of buildings, an irrigation system, a planetary transportation system, everything to suggest a thriving civilization once existed here."  
  
"Calamity?" asked Archer. "A natural disaster maybe?"  
  
"I doubt it, sir," said Malcolm. "I'm finding indications of massive aerial bombardment. Numerous craters, scorched buildings, pulverized structures. If I had to guess, sir, I'd say this planet was destroyed from orbit. By something very powerful."  
  
"Scan for other ships in the area," said Archer.  
  
He still remembered the Andorian surprise they had found when visiting that Vulcan monastery several weeks ago. Malcolm had suggested that scanning for other ships should be standard procedure. Archer was beginning to agree with that recommendation.  
  
"No ships within sensor range, Captain," reported T'Pol.  
  
"Sir," said Malcolm, "I don't think this was recent. Preliminary readings suggest the attack was approximately six to eight thousand years ago. Whatever happened here, it happened a long time ago."  
  
"What about that energy reading?" asked Archer. "Do you have anything further on that?"  
  
"The planet seems to have only a single continent," said T'Pol, "and several large islands. The energy signature seems to be coming from one of the larger islands. Near the eastern coast on the southern portion of the continent."  
  
Archer weighed his options. It seemed unlikely that anyone was still alive down there. He had never heard of any power sources that would still be active after six thousand years. Even the warp engines of the Enterprise would have given out long before that.  
  
But there were no life signs from the planet. He supposed it could be some sort of automated system. That would explain why no one was there. Something like the subspace relays the Enterprise used to transmit their signals back to Earth.  
  
It was an anomaly. An enigma. A mystery. And if there was one thing Archer couldn't resist, it was a mystery. It was part of the reason he had joined Star Fleet.  
  
"Take us into orbit, Mr. Mayweather," he ordered. "Let's find out what's going on down there."  
  
Out of the corner of his eye he saw T'Pol arch one eyebrow. A sign he interpreted as disapproval. But the Vulcan didn't say anything and Archer decided it was best to leave it at that.  
  
TWO  
  
"Anything else on that energy reading?" asked Archer.  
  
"No, Captain," responded T'Pol. "Since entering orbit two hours ago there has been no change in the readings. It appears to be emanating from a single structure near the center of the island. That's odd. The structure does not seem to have suffered the same devastation as the rest of the planet."  
  
"It's still intact?" asked Archer.  
  
"Apparently," said Archer. "Most illogical considering the massive destruction on the rest of the planet."  
  
"Malcolm," said Archer, "you're our resident weapons expert. Any idea what type of weapon could destroy an entire planet and leave a single structure unscathed?"  
  
"None that I know of, sir," said Malcolm.  
  
"Curiouser and curiouser," mumbled Archer.  
  
"Captain? questioned T'Pol.  
  
"A line from an ancient Earth story," said Archer. "Is there any indication of any life down there?"  
  
"None at all, sir," said T'Pol. "I'm not even picking up bacteria. Whatever caused the destruction was quite thorough."  
  
"Trip," said Archer into the intercom, "prep a shuttle pod. We're going down to take a look at the planet first hand."  
  
"Already done, Cap'n," said Trip.  
  
"Sub-Commander," said Archer, turning to T'Pol, "I'll need you down there. You'll and I will be going to the planets' surface to investigate this energy signature."  
  
"Yes, sir," responded T'Pol.  
  
"Captain," said Malcolm, moving out from behind his console, "you shouldn't go down there alone. There may be someone - or something - down there our sensors aren't picking up."  
  
"Very well, Mr. Reed," said Archer. "It looks like you just volunteered for an away mission."  
  
"Yes, sir," said Malcolm, smiling. "I'll go draw weapons."  
  
"Just phase pistols, Malcolm," said Archer, remembering the arsenal Reed had wanted to take to the ship of corpses they had found some weeks ago. "Let's not go in looking like an invasion force."  
  
"Aye, sir," said Malcolm, just a bit of the enthusiasm gone from his voice.  
  
"Trip," said Archer, before boarding the shuttle pod, "we shouldn't be gone long. An hour, two at the most. Keep a sensor lock on us at all times. And make continual sweeps of the area for signs of any other ships. If you pick up anything, I want to know immediately."  
  
"Aye, Cap'n," said Trip. "I sure wish I was going with you, sir."  
  
"You're needed to finish the repairs on Enterprise," said Archer. "Besides, I want my most experienced officer in charge while I'm down there."  
  
"Aye, sir," said Tucker. "Watch yourself down there, sir."  
  
"We will, Trip," said Archer.  
  
Archer boarded the shuttle pod and they departed for the planets surface.  
  
Trip went to check on the preparations for the second shuttle pod. Even though Captain Archer hadn't ordered it, he had prepared a second shuttle pod. In case the Captain and the away team ran into trouble. He wanted to be ready for a rescue mission immediately.  
  
Travis piloted the shuttle to the planets surface toward the source of the energy signature. T'Pol commented that the energy signature wasn't getting any stronger the closer they got to it. Logically, the closer to an enery source one got, the stronger the signal. This was not the case with this particular energy signature.  
  
Travis sat the shuttle down about one hundred meters from the building emminating the energy signature. Archer ordered him to remain with the shuttle while the rest of them checked out the sensor readings.  
  
Everywhere they looked they saw nothing but devastation. No plant life could be seen anywhere. The few building still standing were little more than skeletal structures. Mostly they saw only rubble everywhere they looked.  
  
Except for the building that emmiting the energy signal. It was dome shapped and appeared to be made of some sort of crystalline substance. It's opaque surface gave no indication about what lay inside and there appeared to be no openings in it.  
  
"It looks like a giant golf ball," commented Archer.  
  
"Golf . . . ball?" questions T'Pol.  
  
"An ancient Earth game, Sub-Commander," responded Archer. "Played on Earth for centuries. Not very popular any more, but at one time it was very popular."  
  
"The material of the building is unknown," said T'Pol, taking a reading of the building and ignoring Archers' explanation. "And our sensors do not seem to be able to penetrate it. There is no way to tell what is inside."  
  
"If it is a building," said Malcolm. "Maybe it's some sort of planetary generator. Something like the old solar generators they once had on Earth. That might explain why it's still emmiting a power signature."  
  
"After six millenia?" questioned Archer. "I find it hard to believe any generator would still continue to function after that length of time."  
  
"I believe it is a building of some sort," said T'Pol. "The energy signature seems to be coming from inside the structure. However, without any way to access it, I cannot be sure what the source of the signature is."  
  
"Fan out," said Archer. "Let's see if there's any kind of an opening on it."  
  
The three began to move around the structure. Everywhere they looked they found the same thing. The building appeared to be constructed of interlocking panels that were octagonally shapped. But there didn't appear to be any openings anywhere on it.  
  
Suddenly, as Archer moved around the building, an opening suddenly appeared. There was no sound nor any indication of any mechanical operations. One second he was looking at a solid wall, the next an opening appeared.  
  
Archer stepped back a step or two instinctively. As he did so, the opening vanished, replaced by the wall. He took a cautious step forward and the opening appeared again. When he stepped back, it vanished.  
  
"Over here," he called.  
  
T'Pol and Reed joined him. He stepped toward the structure and the opening appeared. He stepped back and it vanished.  
  
"Fascinating," said T'Pol.  
  
"Damned odd," said Malcolm.  
  
"Make sure to keep your scanners on active scan," said Archer. "I want all the information we can get on this thing."  
  
He stepped toward the structure and the opening appeared again. Archer didn't move any further, allowing T'Pol to take a full sensor reading of the inside of the structure.  
  
"Most peculiar, Captain," she said. "The interior of the structure appears to be empty. But the energy signature is definately coming from inside the structure. I am at a lost to explain it."  
  
"Well," said Archer, "I guess there's only one way to find out." He activated his communicator. "Travis, we've found a way into the structure. Maintain communications with the ship. If we aren't back in twenty minutes, send in the cavalry."  
  
"Will do, sir," said Travis.  
  
"Shall we?" asked Archer.  
  
"I do not believe this is a wise course of action, Captain," said T'Pol.  
  
"You said the interior was empty," said Archer. "What danger could there be? Besides, I think we'll find our answers in there."  
  
"Caution would still be advisable, sir," said T'Pol.  
  
"Noted, Sub-Commander," said Archer.  
  
Cautiously, the three officers moved into the structure.  
  
THREE  
  
The structure was about fourty feet in diameter. The interior was pitch black and their lights shined only about three feet ahead of them. Even the light from the open door provided only minimul illumination inside the building.  
  
They had moved only a few feet into the structure when the door behind them suddenly vanished, replaced witht he crystalline material. Everyone froze. T'Pol was the last one to enter the structure and stood closest to where the opening had been.  
  
Archer motioned toward where the opening had been and T'Pol took a step toward it. Once again, the crystalline material vanished, leaving an opening in the structure.  
  
"At least we aren't trapped," commented Archer.  
  
T'Pol stepped farther into the structure, and once more the door vanished. Carefully they moved farther into the structure, their phase pistols at the ready. There was no sound in the structure and it appeared to be completely empty, as T'Pol had indicated only moments before.  
  
"I wonder what this was used for?" wondered Archer out loud.  
  
As if in answer to his question, the entire interior of the structure lit up. The party of three was about twelve feet into the structure. Directly ahead of them, suspended in midair, was a globe about ten feet in diameter. It was about twenty feet off the ground and there was no indication of what held it in place.  
  
"What is that, T'Pol?" asked Archer.  
  
"Unknown, sir," said T'Pol. "It was not registering on scanners only a moment ago. However, it does seem to be the source of the energy signature. It would indicate that some form of anti-gravity mechanism is holding the sphere in place, but the sensors cannot detect it."  
  
"I wonder what it does?" asked Archer.  
  
"Scans of the sphere indicate it's made of the same material as the structure, sir," reported Malcolm. "But just like the structure, I can't get a reading of what's inside it."  
  
Suddenly the ball began to spin. As it did, a very high pitch screech began to emit from the sphere. It was not painful to listen to and reminded Archer of the whine of an electric motor.  
  
Suddenly the sphere emmited a beam of light. The light settled on Malcolm, then moved to Archer, and finally to T'Pol. Nothing else happened. The light was a light green color and seemed to pulsate. After a few seconds, the light vanished.  
  
"Captain," said T'Pol, "I believe we have just been scanned."  
  
"Scanned?" questined Archer. "What type of scan?"  
  
Before she could answer his question, a voice boomed from the sphere. None of the away team could understand the language being spoken. It reminded Archer of the Klingon language but somehow he knew it wasn't Klingon. In fact, he had the distint impression that none of the known races had technology anywhere near this.  
  
"Let's get out of here," he said.  
  
"That would be a wise precaution," said T'Pol.  
  
Archer turned to head for the opening in the structure. As he did, he suddenly found himself standing in an open field. Clouds drifted by overhead and strange birds flew by. In the distance a screech could be heard from some alien creature.  
  
"Sub-Commander," began Archer, turning to his science officer, "what is going on . . . .'  
  
He was stopped in midsentence. T'Pol nor Malcolm were anywhere to be seen. He was standing in the field alone. He scanned the horizon but saw not signs of life other than birds and occasionally something that scurried through the grass which he couldn't identify. Archer activated his communicator.  
  
"Archer to T'Pol," he said.  
  
There was no response.  
  
"Archer to Reed."  
  
Again, only silence.  
  
"Archer to Mayweather."  
  
Static filled his communicator.  
  
"Archer to anybody," he said in desperation.  
  
No one responded to his hail. He checked the communicator but couldn't find anything wrong with it. While they did not have the range of the ships' radio, he knew he wasn't far enough away to be out of communications range.  
  
At least, he hadn't been. Maybe he had been affected by some sort of transporter beam like the Enterprise had. There was no sensation like he had experienced with the Enterprises' transporters. But he couldn't think of any other explanation.  
  
This was clearly not the same planet he had been on only moments before. The green sky and lush field he was standing in gave testimony to that. As did the various forms of life in the distance. None of that had existed on the planet.  
  
Suddenly he heard a grunt behind him. He turned to face the sound and saw what appeared to be some sort of humanoid creature facing him. It was vaguely reminiscent of a Neanderthal Archer had seen in one of his school textbooks. But it was clear this creature was not of terrestrial origin.  
  
It was nearly twice as large as Archer. Muscles bulged under the animal skin it wore giving mute testimony to the massive strength the creature must have. It had a large club in one hand. It advanced on Archer swinging the club in a menacing fashion. It was little more than a beast and Archer decided that it was simply defending its' territory against an intruder.  
  
"My name is Jonathon Archer," he said, hoping the creature could understand him. "I'm from a planet called Earth. I mean you no harm."  
  
The creature just grunted and swung the club again menacingly. It was clear this creature didn't understand him. Archer made sure his phase pistol was set on stun, then raised the weapon and fired at the creature.  
  
Nothing happened. He pressed the trigger again but it refused to function. He knew the weapon was fully charged. It was also just as clear that it was useless to him.  
  
Archer put his pistol away and took a defensive stance. He had hoped for a peaceful solution to the situation. Clearly, that was not going to happen. The creature advanced on him and swung the club, intent on killing this intruder.  
  
FOUR  
  
Archer and the creature circled each other. They had been fighting for several minutes with no clear advantage to either. Archer had managed to avoid being hit by the club, but he hadn't been so lucky avoiding the beasts massive fistst.  
  
His lower lip was bleeding from a cut. His left eye was partially closed due to swelling. His entire body ached. He had been able to land a few blows of his own, but they seemed not to affect the creature. He was quickly growing tired and when in a few minutes he would be unable to defend himself  
  
Suddenly his foot struck something on the ground. He glanced down and saw what appeared to be the remains of an animal that reminded him of a deer on Earth. It was partially eaten and appeared to have lain in the grass for several days from the look of decomposition of the body. Small insects scurried over the body devour the flesh.  
  
Archer reached down and grasped the antler like growths on the bodys' head. They broke off easily from the head and Archer finally had a weapon to defend himself with.  
  
The creature before him stopped its' advance and stared at Archer. It seemed to have some form of rudimentary intelligence as it realized its' opponent was now armed. It continued to circle around Archer, gauging its' advantage.  
  
Suddenly the beast attacked. It swung the club in a high arch attempting to smash Archers' head. Archer raised the antlers and deflected the club. He swung around and caught the creature along the side of its' head, sending the creature clamoring to the ground.  
  
Archer stepped back to give himself room. His strength was nearly gone and if he didn't do something quickly, he knew he would be dead.  
  
Without warning, the creature launched itself at Archer. Archer brought the antlers up to defend himself and the momentum of his attacker caused it to be impaled on the sharp tips of the weapon.  
  
The creature fell to the ground dead. Several of the antler tips had pierced its' chest and it lay on the ground, blood seeping from the wounds. Archer fell to his knees to catch his breath.  
  
He looked over at the creature again but it was no where to be found. Instead, he was back inside the structure they had first entered on the planets' surface.  
  
Malcolm lay to one side unconscious. He exhibited similar injuries which Archer himself had and Archer assumed he had gone through a similar experience. His breathing was rythmatic and steady, indicating he was not in any danger medically.  
  
T'Pol stood next to Malcolm. Other than a cut on her forehead, she seemed to have suffered no injuries. She moved over to Archer, helping him to stand.  
  
"Captain, are you alright?" she asked.  
  
"I've been better," said Archer. "How's Reed?"  
  
"He collapsed unconscious," responded T'Pol. "His injuries do not appear to be life threatening. It appears he is simply exhausted."  
  
"What happened?" asked Archer as he sat on the floor.  
  
"I cannot answer that, Captain," said T'Pol. "You had ordered us to evacuate the building. I suddenly found myself in a field facing some form of primate. The creature was much larger than myself and was armed.  
  
"My phase pistol would not function and the creature did not seem to understand me. I was forced to rely on physical force to subdue the creature."  
  
"I had the same experience," said Archer. "It would seem so did Malcolm. My communicator wouldn't work, either. Icouldn't contact you or anyone else."  
  
"I had the same malfunction," said T'Pol.  
  
"Tell me, Sub-Commander," said Archer. "Why aren't you beaten to a bloody pulp as the Lieutenant and I are?"  
  
"I believe my Vulcan strength made me more of an equal for the beast," said T'Pol. "Vulcans are several times stronger than humans. Whiile I do not possess the strength of a Vulcan male, I am still considerably stronger than a human male. I was more of a match for the creature than either you or Lieutenant Reed."  
  
"Well," said Archer, "Let's get back to the shuttle pod. Where's the exit?"  
  
"That is problematical, sir," said T'Pol. "There is no way to determine which direction we were facing when we returned to this structure. Since there are no obvious points of reference inside the structure, it is impossible to determine where the opening is."  
  
"You go that way," said Archer, pointing toward the wall of the structure. "I'll go the other way. When one of us gets near it, it should open as it did before."  
  
"Very logical," commented the Vulcan.  
  
Suddenly, Malcolm groaned and sat up. He looked over at Archer and T'Pol.  
  
"You look like hell, sir," said Malcolm.  
  
"You don't look so hot yourself, Lieutenant," said Archer, managing a smile. "Come on. We're getting out of here. I think I've had enough of our guests hospitality for one day."  
  
"I'm with you, sir," said Malcolm.  
  
They circled the inside of the building for several minutes trying to locate the exit. Eventually, they returned to the spot from where they had begun their search. No opening was found.  
  
"I don't understand," said Archer. "Before, all we had to do was step in front of it and it opened. Why isn't it working now?"  
  
"It would appear," said T'Pol, "that this structure serves some specific function. Once the globe has been activated, that function must be fulfilled before we will be allowed to exit."  
  
"What function?" asked Reed.  
  
"There is insufficient information to form an hypothesis," responded T'Pol. "But it would appear that its' function is not yet complete."  
  
Archer tried several times to contact Mayweather or the ship. He had no luck. T'Pol informed him that the communicator signal was being reflected back into the building. She also informed them that she could not scan outside the building, so there was no way of knowing if Tucker had dispatched a rescue party yet.  
  
"So, sir," said Malcolm, "what do we do now?"  
  
"I don't know, Malcolm," said Archer. "I'm running out of ideas."  
  
"Our course of action should be obvious," said T'Pol. "Since we cannot contact the ship or exit the structure, we have little choice but to wait."  
  
"Wait for how long?" asked Archer. His patience was beginning to run low.  
  
"I cannot answer that, Captain," said T'Pol. "But it appears we have few options open to us. I would suggest conserving our strength."  
  
With no other options open to him, Archer sat down to wait.  
  
FIVE  
  
Archer came to with a start. He had been dozing but he didn't know for how long. When he opened his eyes he was again in the middle of a field with animals scurrying in the distance.  
  
"Great," said Archer, standing up. "Here we go again."  
  
"It would appear we are not alone this time."  
  
Archer turned to see T'Pol and Malcolm standing only a few feet from him. Apparently, where ever 'here' was, they would all be in it together.  
  
"It looks the same as before," commented Malcolm.  
  
"Yes, it does," said Archer. "Where ever 'here' is."  
  
"As before," said T'Pol, "our phase pistols seem to be inoperable. And it seems my scanner is also not working."  
  
"Well," said Archer, "with the three of us, we should be able to handle that creature easily enough."  
  
"I do not think we will be facing that creature," said T'Pol. "I think we will be facing a different creature this time."  
  
"What makes you say that?" asked Archer.  
  
T'Pol pointed behind Archer and he turned to see what she was pointing at. Several feet from them stood a creature which bore no resemblance to anything Archer had ever seen before.  
  
The creature was nearly twelve feet tall. It had four tentacles where it's arms should have been. Only one massive eye and a gaping maul filled with large, pointed teeth dominated its' head. It bellowed at the three as it advanced on them.  
  
Archer, T'Pol, and Reed spread out to give themselves some fighting room. The creature moved with unbelieveable speed for a creature its' size. It swayed slightly as it advanced and none of the away team was sure who it would attack first.  
  
Suddenly the beast turned and moved on Archer. It swung out with one of its' tentacles bent on capturing its'prey. Archer simply dropped to the ground and rolled away from it. The tentacle slashed past Archers' head, grabbing nothing but empty air.  
  
Without hesitation the beast turned on T'Pol. I reached out with another tentacle intent on not letting another prey escape. T'Pol reached up and grabbed the tentacle with both hands, keeping it from enveloping her.  
  
The strain showed on her face. While she was able to keep from being enveloped by the tentacele, it was clear that she was using all of her strength to wrestle with it. Not even her strength could prevail against the creature for long.  
  
Malcolm threw his phase pistol at the creature, striking it in the head. He shouted at the creature, taunting it, trying to draw its' attention. As he did, Archer looked around for anything he could use as a weapon.  
  
He found nothing. There were no carcases lying about that he could use to defend against the creature with. By now the creature had abandoned its' attack on T'Pol and turned on Malcolm. T'Pol collapsed on the ground, trying to regain her strength.  
  
Malcolm weaved and bobbed in front of the creature effectively avoiding the flailing tentacles. But it was only a matter of moments before the massive creature caught him. Archer was reminded of an ancient video he had once seen of a boxing match. Malcolm reminded him of a boxer desperately attempting to avoid his opponent.  
  
Archer screamed at the beast. The creature turned its' head and looked at him. Archer waved his arms and screamed at the creature as loud as he could, trying to draw its' attention away from Malcolm.  
  
The ploy worked. The creature turned from the Lieutenant and began to advance on Archer. As it did, Archer backed away, trying to draw the creature away.  
  
Suddenly, T'Pol launched herself at the creatures' back. She landed firmly on the creature and held on for dear life. The creature stopped its' advance on Archer and tried vainly to extract the Vulcan who had a strangle hold around its' throat.  
  
Malcolm dived and rolled underneath the creature. As he did, he knocked the creatures legs out from under it. The creature lost its' footing and went crashing to the ground, T'Pol still holding on.  
  
Archer looked around and saw a large rock lying in the grass. He reached down and picked up the rock, then turned to make for the creature. As he reached T'Pol and the creature, the creature managed to shake the Vulcan off. It turned on her, intent on finishing its' prey.  
  
Archer raised the rock and brought it crashing down on the creatures' head. A sickening "crack" could be heard and the creature seemed to be dazed. T'Pol and Malcolm rolled away from Archer and the creature as Archer brought the rock down once more.  
  
Yellow blood poured from the wound in the creatures head. It attempted to rise, but was unable to. The tentacles flailed about uncontrollably as it fought to envelope Archer.  
  
The fight was over. The creature lay on the ground, its' body spasming, as Archer collapsed next to it. T'Pol and Malcolm rushed to the aid of their captain, pulling him several yards from the dying creature. Archer lay on the ground, his breath coming in great gasps.  
  
Suddenly, the three found themselves back in the structure. There was no sign of the field or the creature they had just fought. It was as if the entire incident had never happened. Except for the injuries the crew had suffered.  
  
Suddenly, the sphere suspended in the center of the room began to spin. As it did, a voice boomed out of it. T'Pol activated her scanner. The voice delivered what appeared to be a long silloque in the alien language, then went silent. As it did, three medallions appeared at their feet. At almost the same time, the opening to the structure appeared.  
  
Archer and the others wasted no time in exiting the building. As soon as they did, the opening vanished, replaced once more by the crystalline material of the entire building. Archer, T'Pol, and Malcolm made their way back to the waiting shuttle pod.  
  
SIX  
  
Two days had passed since the harrowing incident on the planets' surface. Only some minor repairs were still needed on the Enterprise and Trip said they would be completed within a day.  
  
No one had known the away party had been in trouble. Not even Travis. He had informed them they had returned to the shuttle only minutes after leaving it, even though they had spent several hours inside the structure; and fighting their opponents.  
  
A thorough medical examination had revealed no serious injuries. Dr. Phlox said they would be stiff and sore for a few days, but that otherwise they would recover nicely. He asked that, when they had the opportunity, if they would provide him with whatever information they could on the beasts they had fought. So he could enter that information into his database.  
  
Their sensor scans provided them with little information. Apparently, the entire planet had been inundated several thousand years before. Malcolm theorized that the planets' inhabitants had probably been at war and their enemies had destroyed them. All but the crystalline structure they had found. Archer was finishing his report to Star Fleet on the incident when Hoshi came to his quarters.  
  
"Captain, I've finally finished the translation of the language which T'Pol recorded," she announced. "It was more complicated than I first imagined. Much more complicated than any language I've ever encountered before."  
  
"So, what was that voice saying?" asked Archer.  
  
Hoshi handed him a PADD. He read over the text of the translation. It was the last part that interested him most. The silloque that had followed their fights with the two creatures.  
  
Congratulations, initiates. You have successfully completed the remainder of your training. Accept now the symbol of the Satorian Guard. You have proved yourselves capable of defending yourselves both seperately and together. You have passed our most rigorous tests and are now considered the elite of our people. Wear your badge proudly. And know that with warriors such as you, our war against our enemies will come to a swift and victorious conclusion.  
  
"Basic training," commented Archer after reading the translation.  
  
"Sir?" questioned Hoshi.  
  
"Basic training, Ensign," repeated Archer. "That structure was part of a basic training camp. Used to train their warriors to fight their enemies."  
  
"Well, sir," said Hoshi, smiling, "it seems you passed."  
  
"Barely," said Archer. "Not an experience I'd care to repeat."  
  
Just then, T'Pol arrived at the Captains' quarters.  
  
"Captain," she said. "I've taken the liberty of researching the Satorians. We have very little information on them. It appears they were a warrior race that controlled this sector some eight thousand years ago. Little is known about them. Except that their enemies finally banded together and destroyed them."  
  
"I'll make a note of it in my report to Star Fleet, Sub-Commander," said Archer, smiling that half smile he got when he was about to torment his science officer. "By the way. It must be quite an honor for a Vulcan science officer to be an elite member of the Satorian Guard. I don't imagine anyone else from Vulcan has ever had that honor. It will make quite an addition to your memoirs."  
  
"Captain?" questioned T'Pol, arching one eye brow.  
  
"I'll explain it to you later, Sub-Commander," interjected Hoshi. Captain Archer seemed to be enjoying her confusion just a little too much.  
  
"I shall look forward to your explanation, Ensign," said T'Pol. Without another word, T'Pol exited the room and returned to the bridge. All the while Captain Archer was enjoying the confused look on her face.  
  
"Sir," said Hoshi, "why do you think that structure was the only one still functioning after all these years?"  
  
"I don't know," said Archer. "It appeared to be an automated structure. We never were able to find any power source for it. I'm suggesting that a science team be sent to check it out. I'd like you to provide a linguistics database for them so they'll be able to understand any records they might find."  
  
"Yes, sir," said Hoshi. "I should have one available in a couple of days."  
  
"Thanks, Hoshi," said Archer. "I'm also going to advise them NOT to enter that structure until they have investigated it thoroughly. I'd hate to put anyone else through what we had to go through."  
  
"That's probably a good idea, sir," said Hoshi. She left his quarters and returned to her duties on the bridge; and the explanation to T'Pol.  
  
Archer sat in his quarters looking over the medallion he had received on the planets surface. It was made of some metal they hadn't yet been able to identify. It held only a single symbol on it. Some sort of avian creature as best Archer could make out. He imagined it was held in great esteem by the Satorians.  
  
"Well, Porthos," said Archer, scratching his dogs' ears, "let's hope our next mission isn't quite so strenuous. I'm looking forward to a few days of peace and quiet."  
  
Porthos cocked his head once again at his master. Archer turned back to his report and began to make the additions to it about the Satorian people that T'Pol had brought him.  
  
THE END  
  
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more of my stories for a variety of shows and subjects at http://pub57.ezboard.com/bjerrysfanfictionsite. You can also post your stories if you like to write fan fiction. 


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